| The Haunted Mansion | |
|---|---|
 Attraction's facade at Disneyland | |
| Disneyland | |
| Area | New Orleans Square |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | August 9, 1969; 56 years ago (1969-08-09) |
 Lightning Lane available | |
| Magic Kingdom | |
| Area | Liberty Square |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | October 1, 1971 |
| Lightning Lane available | |
| Tokyo Disneyland | |
| Area | Fantasyland |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | April 15, 1983 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Dark ride |
| Manufacturer | Arrow Development |
| Designer | WED Enterprises Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Theme | Haunted attraction |
| Music | "Grim Grinning Ghosts" composed byBuddy Baker |
| Height | 54 ft (16 m) |
| Vehicle type | Omnimover, styled as "Doom Buggies" |
| Riders per vehicle | 2–3 |
| Duration | 5:50–8:20 |
| Audio-Animatronics | 109 |
| Ride host | Ghost Host: voiced byPaul Frees in California & Florida; Teichiro Hori in Tokyo. |
| Seasonal Overlay | Ghost Host: voiced byCorey Burton in California; Ponta Mitsui in Tokyo. |
 Must transfer from wheelchair | |
 Assistive listening available | |
The Haunted Mansion is a horror themeddark-ride attraction located atDisneyland,Magic Kingdom, andTokyo Disneyland. Thehaunted house attraction features a ride-through tour inOmnimover vehicles called "Doom Buggies" and a walk-through show is displayed to the queue line. Each location differs slightly in design, utilizing a range of technology from centuries-old theatrical effects to modern special effects, includingAudio-Animatronics.
The ride was in development for over a decade after the park opened and was one of the last projects made underWalt Disney's direction. The Haunted Mansion inspired two loosely similar but distinct attractions,Phantom Manor andMystic Manor, at Disneyland in Paris and Hong Kong, respectively. Franchise media includes television specials, merchandise, comic strips, and two feature films;The Haunted Mansion released in 2003, andHaunted Mansion released in 2023.
Guests enter the grounds of a typicalantebellum mansion through its front gate and walk through thegardens containing apet cemetery and a carriage led by an invisible horse. Once inside, the deep voice of the invisible Ghost Host introduces himself in thefoyer. Guests enter the mansion'sart gallery, which contains four paintings, each depicting a person from the chest up. While the Ghost Host challenges guests to find a way out, the room stretches vertically, and the portrait frames appear to elongate, revealing the subjects' grim but humorous fates. This room is actually an elevator used to transport guests underground where the main attraction is located.
The room goes dark, the ceiling vanishes, and lightning flashes to reveal thecupola, in which hangs the Ghost Host's skeletal corpse from the rafters by a noose, implying that he committedsuicide by hanging to try to escape. A shriek is then heard, followed by the sound of bones shattering. The Ghost Host apologizes, and a wall opens, exposing the portrait corridor leading to the loading area; the corridor is actually a tunnel that passes under Disneyland Railroad to the ride building, where the actual ride takes place. The subjects of the portraits on the right flicker briefly intomacabre versions of themselves when lighting flashes from the windows on the left. At the end of the corridor are two busts who appear to "follow" the guests with their gazes due to theHollow-Face illusion.
In the loading area, black carriages called "Doom Buggies" descend one staircase and ascend another to the second floor, whilefog is pumped into the back of the room.
Guests pass by acandelabra floating down an endless hallway. Near the hallway's entrance is a moving suit of armor and a chair with an abstract face. The Doom Buggies then turn to view a glassconservatory filled with dead flora surrounding acasket whose occupant is heard calling out for help to escape; his bony hands are seen trying to pry the casket lid open. The Doom Buggies then travel down a hallway of doors where sounds of pounding, calls for help, screams, knocking, and maniacal laughter can be heard from behind the doors. Knockers and handles move independently, and some doors appear to be "breathing." Guests then pass by ademonicgrandfather clock, which chimes 13 as the minute hand spins backwards while a shadow of a claw passes over it.
Guests enter a darkséance room that containsoccult objects. Madame Leota, a blue-hairedmedium whose disembodied head appears within a levitatingcrystal ball, summons the Mansion's spirits. Floating musical instruments respond in turn to her spell.
After leaving the séance circle, guests move onto a mezzanine overlooking a massiveballroom where manyghosts are enjoying a birthday party. Ghosts fly into the room from a crashed hearse and the windows. Several ghosts sit at the table where one blows out the candles of abirthday cake. When a ghost girl blows out the candles, the other ghosts seated at the table disappear, then reappear when she "inhales" again. Playing on the chandelier over the dining table are several drunken ghosts holding glasses ofred wine. Six ghost couples waltz to music played by a gentleman's spirit on apipe organ, several wraiths fly out of its pipes as the haunting refrain echoes throughout the scene. Hanging on the wall are the portraits of two duelists who come to life and fire their revolvers at each other. Guests enter theattic filled with portraits. In each portrait, the same bride is seen with a different groom, who disappears only to reappear a moment later. Guests then see the shadow of a pianist playing a sinister version of the "Bridal March". The ghost of the bride, Constance Hatchaway, is nearby, who is holding the same candelabra seen earlier as she floats while her heart glows pinkish red and beats in time with the music.
The Doom Buggies drift out of an attic window and onto a balcony towards theHatbox Ghost amidst a starry night sky. The Doom Buggies then fall backward underneath dead trees that have humanoid faces. Reaching the ground, they turn towards the gate of a privategraveyard, where guests see a frightened caretaker holding a lantern and a shovel with his scrawny dog cowering at his feet, whimpering in fear. Around the corner, ghosts have risen from their graves and are partying enthusiastically. Ghouls also pop up from behind the gravestones, some of which appear to move. In the graveyard are multiple comical sights, such as askeleton's hand popping out of a hole in a tomb, a duo of ghosts singing opera, aking and queen balancing aseesaw on agravestone and aduchess sipping a cup of tea. Guests also pass by a group of five busts singing the attraction's theme song "Grim Grinning Ghosts". Near the end of the graveyard, guests can see the candelabra floating once more.
The Doom Buggies enter a largecrypt where the Ghost Host warns guests about hitchhiking ghosts as the vehicles pass a group of three ghosts thumbing for a ride. Around the corner, in large mirrors, the guests see that one of the ghosts from the trio is in the buggy with them. The guests then disembark their Doom Buggies and begin to leave the mansion. A small ghost known as Little Leota encourages them to return and to bring their "death certificate."[1]
The Haunted Mansion was an opening-day attraction atMagic Kingdom inWalt Disney World, where it is part ofLiberty Square. During the production and assembly of the props and audio-animatronics for Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, duplicates of everything were being made for Walt Disney World's Haunted Mansion. It was decided that the Florida version of the attraction would be slightly longer and more elaborate than its California counterpart with extra scenes such as the library and the music room. Paul Frees recorded additional voice-overs, including the "Ghost Host" to accompany the extra scenes in the ride.[2] Because of the ample space within the park, the attraction's show building is much larger and not restricted by any railroad berm.
In the Foyer, there is a portrait of the Aging Man from the Disneyland version. Unlike its Disneyland counterpart, the stretching rooms are not elevators and instead have the ceilings rise. After this, the door opens to the Doom Buggy loading area.
Upon boarding, guests pass under the staircase, with a candelabra floating above, then pass the changing portraits as seen in the queue at Disneyland. Then the guests go through the library where busts of ghost writers stare and follow them when they pass by as also seen in the queue at Disneyland. Once they enter the music room, an invisible pianist plays a sinister version of “Grim Grinning Ghosts” and into the Endless Staircase, where footprints can be seen and candelabras are blown out occasionally by unseen ghosts.
Passing by bat-eyed wallpaper that glows in the dark, the guests see the Endless Hallway, but the Hatbox Ghost appears next to it from a blue door, his footprints visible in front of the Hallway. Passing through the conservatory where a corpse tries to get out while crying for help, the guests travel through the corridor of doors. A demonic grandfather clock chimes 13.
Guests then enter the seance room, where Madame Leota is seen floating and reciting her spell as instruments play. A green specter floats alongside the instruments. The Doom Buggies enter the mezzanine of a ballroom, where ghosts have gathered for a party before proceeding to the attic. Here, the piano player can be heard, but not seen. However, the bride is now blue and white and has a stained hatchet.
The Doom Buggies pass through the cemetery, where many of the ghosts are singing Grim Grinning Ghosts and into the crypt, where the Hitchhiking Ghosts are playing around in the mirrors. Little Leota appears above the vehicles as guests disembark and pass a mausoleum and then a pet cemetery.
The Tokyo Disneyland version of the Haunted Mansion was an opening day attraction and is located inFantasyland. This version is largely a duplicate of the Magic Kingdom version, although it has some minor differences, such as a haunted painting of a man vaguely resemblingPeter Lorre whose face pops out and stretches, a tall, legless ghost in the Séance Room, and more advanced lighting. The attraction did not receive the changes made in the 2007 refurbishment of the Magic Kingdom version.
The idea for the Mansion precedesDisneyland andWED Enterprises, dating to whenWalt Disney hired the first of hisImagineers.[3] At the time, the park they were developing the attraction for was supposed to be located across from the studios. In 1951, the first known illustration of the park showed a main street setting, green fields, western village and a carnival.[4]Disney LegendHarper Goff developed a black-and-white sketch of a crooked street leading away frommain street by a peaceful church and graveyard, with a run-down manor perched high on a hill that towered over main street.[3]
Disney assigned ImagineerKen Anderson to create a story using Goff's idea.[3] Plans were made to build aNew Orleans-themed land in the small transition area betweenFrontierland andAdventureland. Weeks later,New Orleans Square appeared on the souvenir map and promised a thieves' market, a pirate wax museum, and a haunted house walk-through.[5] Anderson studied New Orleans and old plantations, landing on an image of the Shipley-Lydecker House[6] inBaltimore,Maryland. He came up with a drawing of anantebellum manor with features from the Baltimore house, overgrown with weeds, dead trees, swarms of bats and boarded doors and windows topped by a screeching cat as aweathervane.[3][7]
Disney, however, rejected the idea of having a run-down building in his park.[3] He visited theWinchester Mystery House inSan Jose, California, and was captivated by the massive mansion with its stairs to nowhere, doors that opened to walls and holes, and elevators.[4] Anderson envisioned stories for the mansion, including tales of a ghostly sea captain who killed his nosy bride and then hanged himself, a mansion home to an unfortunate family, and a ghostly wedding party with well-known Disney villains and spooks.[3]
In 1961,handbills announcing a 1963 opening of the Haunted Mansion were given out at Disneyland's main entrance.[8] Construction began a year later, and the exterior was completed in 1963.[5] The attraction was previewed in a 1965 episode ofWalt Disney's Wonderful World of Color,[8] but the attraction itself did not open until 1969. The six-year delay owed heavily to Disney's involvement in theNew York World's Fair in 1964–1965 and to an attraction redesign after Disney's death in 1966.[3]
After the fair, many Imagineers such asMarc Davis,X Atencio andClaude Coats contributed ideas to the project.[5] By this time, Anderson had left the project.Rolly Crump showed Disney some designs for his version, which included bizarre objects like coffin clocks, candle men, talking chairs, man-eating plants, tiki-like busts, living gypsy wagons and a mirror with a face.[4] Disney accepted these ideas and wanted to make the proclaimed "Museum of the Weird", a restaurant side to the now-named Haunted Mansion, similar to theBlue Bayou atPirates of the Caribbean.[3]
When Disney put Imagineers Crump andYale Gracey in charge of creating illusions for the attraction, they intended to make the "Museum of the Weird" into a separate section that guests could walk through, where they could see transparent ghosts and other apparitions utilizing thePepper's ghost technique used in the theater since the early 1800s.[3] Crump and Gracey were eventually given a large workshop to develop their ideas. One night, the two Imagineers decided to play a prank on the night cleaning crew. As Crump explained:[9]
We got a call from personnel saying that the janitors requested that we leave the lights on in there due to the creepiness of all the audio-animatronic ghosts and such. We complied, but put motion sensors in the room that would extinguish the lights and turn on all the ghost effects when triggered. The next morning, we came in and found all the ghost effects still running and a broom lying in the center of the floor. Personnel called and said that the janitors would not be back.
Davis and Coats, two of the Mansion's main designers,[10] disagreed on whether the ride should be frightening or funny. Coats, originally a background artist, wanted a scary adventure, and produced renditions of moody surroundings like endless hallways, corridors of doors, and bleakly spooky environments. Davis, an animator and character designer, proposed a variety of mostly comical characters, and thought the ride should be silly and full of gags. In the end, both artists got their ways when Atencio combined their approaches and ideas, creating a transition from dark foreboding to "spirited" entertainment. The ride narration was performed byPaul Frees in the role of the Ghost Host. The attraction's theme song, "Grim Grinning Ghosts", was composed byBuddy Baker with lyrics by Atencio.[3] Different versions of it can be heard in nearly every area of the ride.[4]
After Disney's death in December 1966, the project evolved significantly. The Museum of the Weird restaurant idea was abandoned. The Imagineers objected to a walk-through attraction's low capacity, going so far as suggesting building two identical attractions to accommodate twice as many guests.[3] A solution appeared with the development of theOmnimover system forAdventure Thru Inner Space.[4] Renamed the Doom Buggy, the system's continuous chain of semi-enclosed vehicles offered high capacity. The cars could be set to rotate in any direction at any point, allowing the Imagineers to control what guests saw and heard.[4] Because each car held from one to three people, it was a convenient way to divide guests into smaller groups—a better fit with the story of people wandering alone through a haunted house.[5]
Employee previews of the Mansion were held August 6, 7, and the 8th, followed by "soft" openings on August 9 and 10 where limited numbers of park guests were allowed to ride. A "Midnight" Press Event was held on the evening of August 11. The Mansion opened to all guests on August 12, 1969.[3]
In around 1977, WDI considered utilizing the unused designs, creatures and effects that Rolly Crump had originally created for the Haunted Mansion and the Museum of the Weird as part of Professor Marvel's Gallery—"a tent show of mysteries and delights, a carousel of magic and wonder," to be built as part of Disneyland's Discovery Bay expansion area. The idea was dropped when the expansion's plans fell through.[11]
In 1994, Disneyland's Haunted Mansion was updated. A phantom piano player sat at a run-down piano in the attic scene, whereas the original faceless bride was given a full-fleshed appearance.[3] In 2001, a newer, more detailed safety spiel was added to the Doom Buggies' onboard audio as they left the loading area. Recorded by voice-over artist Joe Leahy in English and Fabio Rodriguez in Spanish, in a recreation of the character of original actor Paul Frees' Ghost Host, the bilingual spiel was part of a park-wide campaign to increase safety. The seasonal overlayHaunted Mansion Holiday also premiered in October, featuring characters from the 1993 filmThe Nightmare Before Christmas.[5]
In 2004, the Seance Room was updated so the crystal ball with the talking head of Madame Leota floated above its table rather than sitting stationary on it, with the original projection-mapped effect replaced by a rear-projection effect within the ball. In 2006, the original attic bride was replaced by Constance Hatchaway and a storyline for the new character.[12]
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In 2007, the attraction was renovated, with changes including the installation of the changing portraits and lightning-filled windows from the Disneyland version, and new vocals for most of the ghosts in the graveyard. In the Walt Disney World location, an endless staircase was added after being previously a dark space with spider webs. The portrait hall was originally decorated with portraits, known as the Sinister 11, situated on both sides and on a doorway, all of which have eyes that stared at guests as they pass through; these were later transferred to the load area during the refurbishment and their eyes no longer followed guests.
In March 2011, a new "interactive queue" debuted at the Walt Disney World location, with newcrypts andtombstones honoring Imagineers; a murder mystery for guests to solve featuring the sinister Dread Family; the Composer Crypt, which features musical instruments that play variations of "Grim Grinning Ghosts" when touched, including a pipe organ made by the fictional "Ravenscroft" company, named forThurl Ravenscroft, one of the vocalists for "Grim Grinning Ghosts"; the Mariner's brine-filled sepulcher, whose ghost sings and sneezes from within, and a crypt for Prudence Pock the poetess, which features haunted moving books and Prudence's ghost writing invisibly in her poem book. Guests can solve the unfinished poems by speaking into microphones located on the crypt. The FastPass+ line skips the queue altogether and leads guests straight to the Foyer doors.[13] There is also an extended queue line that uses the formerMike Fink Keel Boats dock.[14]
On April 10, 2015, it was officially confirmed that an iconic Haunted Mansion character, The Hatbox Ghost, would return to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. The character returned on May 9, 2015. The Hatbox Ghost was originally a part of the attraction when it opened in 1969,[15] but was removed when the illusion involving the specter's head was not convincing enough.[3] The Hatbox Ghost was added to Disney World's Haunted Mansion on November 30, 2023, as part of The Walt Disney Company's 100th Anniversary celebration.[16]
On April 2, 2019,PhotoPass ride photography was added to the attraction at Magic Kingdom. A hidden camera takes pictures of the riders as the doom buggy passes the final portrait in the portrait gallery, with theflash disguised as flickering lightning. A black and white photo featuring the riders framed by several of the ghosts surrounding the photo is automatically added to the guests' PhotoPass account by reading the RFID data from the guest's second-generationMagicBand.[17]
On January 21, 2020, Disneyland's Haunted Mansion was closed for an extensive refurbishment to add lighted steel panels, improved lighting, mechanical touch-ups, and new paint and trims to the exterior of the attraction. The changes were originally scheduled for completion in spring 2020, but an extended park closure due to theCOVID-19 pandemic created uncertainty.[18] It was later confirmed that the refurbished attraction would reopen with the park on April 30, 2021. This refurbishment came with a refreshed pet cemetery, now with new greenery and plants. The portrait gallery was given new drapes curtains and the loading area received more decorative with wallpaper and the return of one of the Haunted Mansion's original portraits being "April to December". Also featuring a statue of the one-eyed cat. The rest of the attraction was given repairs and new lighting.[19][20] In addition, new secret entrance was added to the ride by using an exit. Once the crypt door opened, visitors would be directed down a flight of stairs and through a utility passageway usually used by cast members.[21]
In January 2024, the Disneyland Haunted Mansion began another extensive refurbishment to reform and expand the outdoor queue, modify the nearby Magnolia Park in New Orleans Square, and add a gift shop at the ride's exit. The expansion opened on November 26, 2024; the new grounds include an accessible elevator while the gift shop, which is themed to be the mansion'scarriage house, opened on December 23, 2024.[22][23][24][25][26][excessive citations]
In January 2025, the attraction at Disneyland received a new bride inspired by the original version of the character and storyline. In addition, the hitchhiking ghosts scene was updated.[27]
The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland is transformed intoHaunted Mansion Holiday during the Halloween and Christmas seasons and has been since 2001, inspired byTim Burton's 1993 filmThe Nightmare Before Christmas.[28] The Haunted Mansion is closed in mid to late August for a few weeks as they revamp the attraction before opening again in September, replacing many of the props and Audio-Animatronics with characters and themes from the movie. The Haunted Mansion Holiday closes in early January to restore the attraction back to the original Haunted Mansion and reopens late January.
The Magic Kingdom does not have its own holiday edition of the Haunted Mansion and the regular ride operates continuously through the holiday season.
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Disneyland Paris featuresPhantom Manor, a "re-imagined" version of the Haunted Mansion. The house is aWestern Victorian, in theSecond Empire architectural style, based on the look of theFourth Ward School House inVirginia City, Nevada. Along with the Western architectural style, the attraction uses aWestern plot to fit in with the Thunder Mesa and Frontierland backdrop.[29] Unlike the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom attractions which have English narration from Paul Frees, Phantom Manor featuresVincent Price throughout.
Mystic Manor opened atHong Kong Disneyland in spring 2013. Unlike the Haunted Mansion, however, it does not include references todeparted spirits or theafterlife, due to differences in traditional Chinese culture. Continuing the Society of Explorers and Adventurers theme ofTokyo DisneySea, the attraction tells the story of Lord Henry Mystic and his monkey Albert. Having recently acquired an enchanted music box with the power to bring inanimate objects to life, Albert opens the box and brings all of the house's artifacts to life. The attraction's exterior is that of a largeVictorian mansion in an elaborateQueen Anne architectural style, and the experience features a trackless system and a musical score byDanny Elfman.[29]
On October 5, 2025, a woman in her 60's was found unresponsive after riding The Haunted Mansion. Disneyland security administered CPR until Anaheim Fire and Rescue arrived.[30] She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy was not performed, and no issues were found with the ride itself.[31]
Walt Disney Pictures produced two standalone theatrical live-action feature film adaptations based on the attraction:
The first adaptation,The Haunted Mansion, was directed byRob Minkoff and starredEddie Murphy was released on November 26, 2003.[10]
The second adaptation,Haunted Mansion, was directed byJustin Simien and released on July 28, 2023.[32] In July 2010,Guillermo del Toro announced that he was set to write and produce a darker film adaptation also based on the attraction, saying that it would be both scary and fun.[10] The film was officially confirmed in July 2021,[33][34] withTiffany Haddish playing a hired psychic that attempts to commune with the dead andLaKeith Stanfield playing a lackluster tour guide in New Orleans's French Quarter.[35]
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